These days “outsourcing” means more than manufacturing widgets internationally and small businesses can take a page from the “big boys” who outsource to cut costs. If you’re a small- to medium-sized business owner, you may already be using outside payroll, billing, and/or collections services because Business Process Outsourcing(BPO) allows you to get rid of a high-dollar in-house accounting department. Or you may be thinking about consultants who could provide assistance with your advertising and marketing efforts; customer service/help desk; print, graphics, and other media; and data entry.

The same savings can occur in your information technology (IT) department, a department that can eat up a lot of a budget in one big gulp. As far back as December 2001, a report from the Gartner Group summarized what we were seeing as early as the mid-‘90s when Network Alliance was founded: “Whether it involves designing network infrastructure, setting up a help desk, rolling out a new email system, or building an online business application, outsourcing can contain costs and risks, allowing IT service expenses to grow in a more linear fashion than is possible by building up an all-purpose in-house IT staff.”

When it comes to IT service and support, the two biggest concerns are cost containment and access to skilled personnel and it gets worse by the day. Budgeting for in-house IT is unpredictable, at best, and just the thought of finding the “right” IT staff is cringe-worthy to most CEOs. It’s no surprise if looking for a better tech solution is on your “to do” list.

What’s the Answer?

One way to solve these challenges is by moving to a Desktop as a Service (DaaS) model (You might have heard the buzz words like “virtualization” or “cloud computing” as synonyms for this service). Basically, DaaS means your computer’s desktop connects via the Internet to a remote server that takes care of your entire IT infrastructure. Everything—data storage, backup, security, and upgrades—is handled by the service provider and you only pay for what you need or use. You have complete access to your data regardless of your device—cell phone, tablet, laptop, or desktop—or location.

Once thought of as something that only large businesses or major corporations could afford, let alone benefit from, outsourcing via DaaS is now affordable and accessible to smaller companies, too. Some of the immediate benefits for your business include:

• Cost Savings – from salaries and budget overruns to hardware and software investments
• Access – to competent and professional support 24/7 (not just when IT personnel are in your office suite)
• Focus on core competencies – do what you do best and let the geeks worry about the techie stuff.

Beyond the immediate relief of contained cost and immediate access, having direct and ongoing connections to people who are experts in their field empowers you to make the right choice on any, often difficult, IT decisions (like new technologies or when to do software upgrades).

The bottom line? Improve your own bottom line by focusing on what you do best and letting outside experts handle the rest. Contact Network Alliance to see how we can help you manage costs for IT support and get more bang for your buck.